St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner- March 17th. Chances are that you’re aware of the basics of the holiday: it’s Irish, it involves a lot of clovers and other green things, and it’s part of the trifecta of America’s favorite drinking holidays along with July 4th and New Year’s Eve. But there’s a lot more to it than green beer and ruthless pinching, believe it or not.
First of all, let’s start with the basics- St. Patrick was- surprise!- a Catholic patron saint. He was actually Romano-British by birth, and ended up in Ireland on fairly dire terms: kidnapped at 16 by Irish raiders and taken as a slave. He eventually escaped and returned to Britain to study becoming a priest and eventually he did, occasionally using a shamrock as a means to explain the holy trinity to Irish pagans. Eventually, he’d come to have the reputation of being the most principal figure in bringing Christianity to Ireland- making him a prime candidate for a national holiday in Ireland. From there, it spread over the centuries along with the Irish people, and that pretty much brings us to today.
So why all the drinking despite its religious roots? Simple. St. Pat’s happens over the Catholic observance of Lent, and its restrictions on diet and drink are lifted during the holiday. Especially in a time of much more strict practices in the church, this was obviously kind of a big deal and a source of much mirth.
If you’re looking for something to do to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, there’s a lot of options open to you in the greater Seattle area. Just about every bar and restaurant that can get away with it will be offering food and drink specials of some kind, especially of the corned beef and cabbage variety. If you’re looking for something a little bigger than that, consider the following.
The St Patrick’s Day Dash is one of Seattle’s most popular events, and happens this Sunday, May 16th. It covers roughly four miles of Seattle and, due to the amount of entrants each year, the winners of the event actually end up crossing the finish line before the last people even start. It’s a lot of fun to either watch or participate in, and all it takes to watch is getting to Seattle Center fairly early in the day. Expect a river of green!
If you’re looking for something perhaps a bit less hectic, consider the Irish Heritage Club of Seattle’s St Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Seattle. Starting at 12:30pm on Saturday, Match 15th, it’s a pretty unique event. The parade is broken up into several different groups, each representing a different clan from a region of Ireland. Seniors and others who can’t walk the distance are welcome to ride in the “Seniors Shamrock Shuttle.”
Stay safe, keep warm, and enjoy your time out there! And if we don’t see you at these events, we’ll hopefully be seeing you on the water! Happy Spring!
